


A Fishy Tale

by Chichirinoda



Category: Okami
Genre: Gen, adventure story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-19
Updated: 2009-12-19
Packaged: 2017-10-04 15:37:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/31810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chichirinoda/pseuds/Chichirinoda
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Amaterasu and Issun are still adventuring together. Together with Waka, they need to help someone vanquish a terrible beast who could destroy all of Japan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Fishy Tale

**Author's Note:**

  * For [paperiuni](https://archiveofourown.org/users/paperiuni/gifts).



The rumbling had been noticeable a long way off, but as Amaterasu and Issun crossed the prefecture border and entered Ibaragi, the shaking of the ground was so strong that Issun had to cling to Ammy's nose to keep from being vibrated right off. There was a steep slope ahead of them lined with trees, the telltale red arch at the top denoting a shrine.

Ammy gamely trotted up the slope towards the shrine, then gave a yelp as the ground gave a particularly robust buck. She slewed to one side, nearly topping right over even on her four feet. The follow-up tremor did knock her down, and she rolled over completely and tumbled down the slope. Issun yelled and clung as the world went topsy-turvy once or twice before Ammy managed to dig her claws into the ground and came to a stop. A patch of flowers had sprung up to cushion her fall.

There was a twitter of flute music. "Ah, ma cherie, I was hoping to see you here."

Issun looked up, having a bit of difficulty as Ammy was in the middle of getting to her feet and shaking herself vigorously. That annoying Frenchman was standing in a tree above them, silhouetted before the glowing crescent moon, which cast a yellow glow over everything. He had his flute in one hand and his other arm wrapped tightly around the trunk to keep from being thrown off. The leaves of the tree were green, but they were still raining down like it was autumn.

Ammy made a rather urgent questioning sound and Issun translated. "What the hell is going on here? What have you done this time, you jerk!" Okay, that last bit was just Issun's embellishment. It always seemed like bad stuff happened when Waka was around, and Issun was annoyed enough at being batted around that he wasn't above accusing him of being the culprit.

Waka gave a laugh and hopped down from the tree, his hair flaring out artfully as he drifted to the ground. The grace of it was spoiled when he touched down lightly and then stumbled, having to grab for the tree again to keep himself from being knocked right off of his feet.

"This is not my doing, and I do not appreciate the accusation." He flipped his hand at Issun, irritably. "Luckily I have been here long enough to discover the source of the shaking ground. I'll show you. Please follow me, ma cherie." He glanced sidelong at them. "And I suppose the bug can accompany us as well," he added grudgingly. "If he can restrain himself from his rudeness that long."

"I'll be rude if I want," Issun growled as Ammy scrambled gamely up the slope after the light-footed Waka, both of them bent low to the ground to keep from falling over as the ground bucked and shook.

The shaking didn't get any better as they reached the top of the hill and entered the grounds of the shrine. Leaves and flower petals rained down all around them and a nearby ornamental pond sloshed and shook so violently that Issun wondered if the fish were going to be all right. The sound of cries and shouts from inside the main temple building told Issun that the priests and priestesses were taking shelter inside. But Waka didn't lead them towards the front doors, instead turning aside to take them deeper into the grounds.

Ammy whimpered softly, and Issun spoke up. "Where are we going, Frenchie?"

"Not much further," Waka said airily, and indeed he stopped on a stretch of clear ground. A large rock lay shattered nearby, and there was a deep cleft in the earth which rent the ground in a jagged line as if it had cracked open. "Take a look, ma cherie, but watch your step!"

Ammy approached the crack cautiously and Issun leaned out to see. It was dark, the moon not casting enough light to see by, but Ammy took out her brush and the sun leaped into the sky. A shaft of sunlight stabbed down into the crack and Issun caught a glimpse of something huge and covered with orange, white and black splotches squirming deep inside the fissure.

Then the world bucked again and Ammy yelped in surprise. Issun slipped and let out a cry as he tumbled from Ammy's nose, down into the bottomless crack in the earth.

_Oh my god, I don't want to die without feeling the touch of Sakuya's soft breasts one more time--_ Issun had time to think, then Ammy's teeth closed around him.

There was a moment of darkness and warmth and _uuuuuugh_ and then Ammy spat him out and Issun was rolling and bouncing across the ground to fetch up against the base of a thistle. He got up, clinging to the thistle to keep his feet as he wiped the spit off from his face.

"What is that thing?" he demanded, a little breathless as he stumbled back up towards the other two. "Some kind of Oni?" He drew his mighty sword. No stupid monster was going to get him freaked out and covered with spit and not pay the price. "Let's jump down, Ammy! Don't look before you leap!"

"Don't be foolish," Waka said. He grabbed Issun by pinching the back of his shirt between two slender fingers and deposited him on Ammy's nose once more, then wiped his hand on his shirt with a disgusted expression. "That isn't a monster. It is Namazu, the great poisson-chat -- I mean, catfish."

Ammy shook herself and barked loudly and commandingly a few times, but the fish didn't stop squirming, and she backed off a few paces and slumped down onto the ground with an irritated growl.

"Ammy's right!" Issun said hotly. "Why is this fish causing so much trouble? It needs to calm down and stop flopping around like that."

"Well, it _is_ a fish out of water," Waka said archly. "You can't really expect it to not flop."

"So what do we do?" Issun demanded, bouncing up and down a few times in his annoyance. "How did it get there, anyway?"

Waka sat down on the ground to keep from falling over, crossing his legs and making it somehow look like he meant to do it. He twiddled his fingers over the flute in his hands. "The fish has always been here," he said. "This shrine is dedicated to it." He gestured to the temple, and the large painted sign of a colourful koi hung over the doors. "I believe that rock, the Kaname-Ishi, had held the fish down before, but it's been broken by Oni, and now Namazu can squirm around all he likes."

He shook his head, his lips pursing with distress. "Ah, c'est quel dommage! A vision of the future has come to me!" He played a trill on the flute to punctuate his words, then finished dramatically. "If Namazu continues to flop around like this, all of Japan will be levelled with earthquakes."

Issun's eyes widened with horror at this thought. Already he could hear the great logs making up the structure of the temple creaking and popping as the building swayed back and forth. All of Japan could end up like this? Shaking itself to smithereens?

"Well we've got to fix the rock, then!" he exclaimed, pointing to the Kaname-Ishi. "Ammy, can you paint that thing back into place?"

Ammy whimpered and shook her head. So, it was too broken. The rock was in several pieces, and even the Rejuvenation Technique couldn't assemble all of the broken and scattered pieces into a whole.

But before the disappointment could sink in, she jumped to her feet and barked once, imperiously.

Issun shook a fist determinedly. "You're right, Ammy," he snapped. "We shouldn't let this get us down. We'll just have to find something else to drop on that fish's head and knock it right out." He grabbed onto fistfuls of Ammy's fur as the wolf ran off into the trees to search. Waka jumped up and darted after them, weaving a little as the ground bucked and swayed under them.

But where were they going to get something to pin the fish down? Could Ammy really move something that big? Where was that big oaf Susano when you actually needed him?

The sound of wailing attracted Issun's attention before they'd gone too far, and he pointed off through the trees in its direction. "What's that sound? I think someone's in trouble!"

Ammy barked and changed direction, charging down a path and coming to a halt in a clearing.

In the very middle of the clearing was a very, _very_ large man.

A very large, and very _naked_ man.

The man was almost as wide as he was tall, and he lay on the ground, wailing piteously. Great tears streamed from his eyes as he sobbed.

"Mon dieu," Waka whispered from right behind them, a little breathless from trying to keep up with them. "What a sight!"

As Ammy approached cautiously, the man lifted his head and sat up, wiping his eyes. Issun saw that he was wearing a sumo mawashi around his middle, covering his private parts. So he wasn't _completely_ naked. Well, that was something, at least.

"He's a sumo wrestler," he hissed, and Ammy nodded her agreement as she trotted up to him and cocked her head inquisitively.

"Oh, h- hello there wolf," the man said, sniffling. He looked like he might burst into fresh tears at any moment.

"Monsieur, what is the matter?" Waka asked, looking him up and down with an expression of slight distaste. "If you are afraid of the earthquakes, I suggest that you get out of the open like this before a tree falls upon you!"

"No, no, I'm not afraid of earthquakes," the man said tearfully. He rocked back and forth, slapping the ground with his great hands. "I...I am Take, Take Mikazuchi."

Waka drew in a sharp breath. "You are the one who vanquished the great fish Namazu? But you are--"

"No, that was my great, great, great, great, great grandfather!" Take said. "Obviously I'm not so old as that. But I was named after him, and I have tried to follow in his great footsteps."

The ground gave another great lurch, and Ammy dropped to the ground, nearly spilling Issun off again. Ammy whined and nuzzled up close to Take, pushing at him with her nose as Issun bounced up and down irritably.

"But if your great grandfather put that stone in place, what are you doing here crying?" Issun exclaimed. "Why aren't you getting a new rock and putting the beat down on that fish?!"

Take sighed and ran a hand down Ammy's back. "Somehow I get the feeling that your pet wolf is asking me why I'm not doing anything about Namazu, to live up to my many-times great grandfather's legacy," he said to Waka.

Ammy snorted irritably and shook herself violently to knock Take's hand away. She wasn't Waka's pet wolf!

Waka coughed quietly. "Ah, well I don't know if my wolf was asking that, but I would certainly like the answer, monsieur. Why are you waiting around here when the temple is shaking itself to pieces?"

Take sighed again. "I wasn't!" he protested. "As soon as I felt the tremors, I rushed up to the shrine, only to discover that the Kaname-Ishi had been shattered during the night." His eyes filled with tears again, but he continued his story gamely. "I knew just what to do, as my great-grandfather had passed down a special heirloom for just such an occasion. I ran back to my cottage and got it."

"Well then, where's this heirloom?" Issun shouted, bouncing up and down madly. "Hurry up with your stupid story, fatty."

"Indeed," Waka said, with a bit more aplomb. "If you have something that can help, what is the problem?"

Take threw his head back and let out a wail. Ammy had to step back abruptly to avoid being splashed by a fresh wave of tears. "The ground was shaking so much, I tripped," he sobbed. "And now, just look."

He reached behind him and picked up something that clanked and crackled. He held it up, and Issun stared. What Take held looked like a gigantic bolt of lightning, shivering and crackling along its whole length. The problem was, it had broken cleanly into two pieces.

Ammy barked excitedly, and Waka got to his feet, grabbing onto a tree trunk to keep his feet as the ground gave another lurch. "Well, now I see the problem, but never fear, Take!" Waka said, bringing his flute to his lips and striking a pose. "I am the great Waka, fortune teller, warrior of unparalleled strength and grace. And...and I am also a sorcerer. I can fix your lightning bolt for you, tout de suite!"

Issun drew his sword and flailed it in the air. "What do you mean _you_ can fix the lightning bolt?!"

Waka ignored him. "Please, monsieur, place the halves of the lightning bolt down on the ground together. And then I will need your assistance with a little dance."

"Huh?" Ammy also gave an inquisitive noise as Issun stopped waving his sword and blinked at Waka.

Take looked equally taken aback, pausing in the middle of placing the lightning bolt on the ground. "A dance?" He got to his feet, spreading his legs wide to keep steady as the ground shivered and trembled. "I'm not much of a dancer."

"Do not worry," Waka said airily, grabbing the man's beefy arm. "With me on your arm, you will feel as light as a feather. Now then, the steps are simple."

Waka grabbed Take's arms, placed one on his shoulder, and the other on his slim hip. "First you step like this, and then turn. Oh yes, that's right. Now again~ Magnifique!"

Issun stared with his jaw hovering somewhere around his navel as the Frenchman danced across the clearing with the huge, lumbering man. "What the hell is he doing, Ammy?" he hissed at the wolf.

But Ammy wasn't listening. She had taken out her brush and moved to inspect the lightning bolt while Take was distracted with the dance steps. As the sumo wrestler turned away in the middle of dipping Waka low to the ground, she quickly painted over the lightning bolt, and in a flash it was whole again.

In an instant - if belatedly - Issun understood. "Oh! He was making sure that great oaf didn't see what we were doing."

Indeed, the moment the lightning bolt was fixed, Waka poked his head around the massive Take and beamed, immediately letting go of him and nearly causing the man to faceplant. "Ah, you see! The magic of our union in dance has caused a miracle to occur. Praise be to me, your lightning bolt is whole!"

"You mean praise be to Amaterasu!" Issun snarled. "He's taking all the credit, Ammy!" Ammy barked and snapped her teeth, snarling at the Frenchman, who only smirked.

"Oh thank you, thank you! You really are a great sorcerer!" Take gushed, snatching up the enormous lightning bolt. "I'll go pin Namazu down right now!"

"Yes, yes, I am," Waka said, gesturing airily. "But there is no need for thanks. Please make an offering to the gods instead, and I will be satisfied."

"So generous," Take gasped. "Are you sure you don't want any kind of reward?"

There was another violent lurch and Waka stumbled, nearly falling off of the high shoes he wore. "No, no," he said, catching himself and flushing slightly. "As I said, my magic comes from the gods. An offering to them will suffice."

"Hmph, you're damn right 'your' magic comes from the gods," Issun growled as Take waved cheerfully and tore off down the path as quickly as his legs could carry him. "Wow, he's fast for a big guy," Issun commented.

"Perhaps we should go after him and make sure he doesn't fall again," Waka said, straightening his hat and smoothing down his hair. "If you don't mind giving me a ride, ma cherie, I would be much obliged."

Ammy growled and snapped her teeth, still annoyed at him for taking the credit for the Rejuvenation of the lightning bolt. But she held still and let Waka hop up side-saddle, and then tore off after the running sumo wrestler, flowers springing up in her wake.

When they reached the great fissure, Waka hopped down from Ammy's back and they all watched from the trees as Take settled himself in a deep sumo stance, legs spread wide and rock-solid despite the bucking of the ground. He held the lightning bolt between his hands, raised it high and then thrust it deep into the earth with a mighty roar that shook the trees.

There was a sizzling and crackle of lightning, and abruptly the shuddering of the earth ceased.

Slowly they approached and looked down. Issun clung on tightly, not wanting to fall again, and he saw the great fish, far below, lying very still. Waka clapped his hands. "Ah, bon, bon, tres bien!" he exclaimed. "You've stunned that fish with the electricity!"

Take toed the ground, abashed, and was soon engulfed by a crowd of grateful priests, priestesses and shrine worshippers, who had been watching him vanquish the fish from the windows of the temple. Ammy and Waka backed off discreetly and walked together into the trees.

Waka ruffled Ammy's ears, then stepped back as Ammy growled at him, his eyes widening a little. Ammy opened her jaw in a silent laugh, then licked Waka's hand.

"I think I know what you're saying," Waka said, grinning. "We do make a good team, no?"

"No," Issun said sourly, but too quietly for Waka to hear. Especially since that was what Ammy had been saying.

Soon they were running again, Waka astride Ammy once more and their run accompanied by the sound of flute music. Issun had to smile despite his irritation at the Frenchman. He supposed Waka had done it for the right reasons, even if he were an arrogant fop. And he rather liked having musical accompaniment for their exploits.

Maybe he wasn't so bad to have around.


End file.
